Tag Archives: Wladimir Klitschko

Anthony Joshua, left, and Wladimir Klitschko were in New York City on Tuesday to promote their April 29 heavyweight title fight in London/Photo by Ed Mulholland

Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua of England has an objective – to be the best ever.

“That’s my obsession,” he said Tuesday in New York City, where he and former champion Wladimir Klitschko hosted a news conference promoting their April 29 fight at Wembley Stadium in London, where a sellout crowd of 90,000 is expected.

“I’m a man who likes to perform and entertain and that’s always been there. I’ve always wanted to take on the best,” Joshua said.

Since Klitschko will be 41 by the time this fight happens – his birthday is March 25 – Klitschko may not be “the best” at this point. That’s not to mention he’s coming off a loss to Tyson Fury that took place in November 2015. That’s another thing. Klitschko will have some 17 months out of the ring by fight night.

“I believe this man has a lot of skills,” Klitschko said of Joshua. “Maybe yes, maybe not he will be the biggest star in boxing. I know there are plans to fight (Deontay) Wilder after me.

“It’s good to be young and ambitious, but I believe this fight has a lot of questions. Is it too early for him, too late for me?”

Joshua, 27, is 18-0 with 18 knockouts. Klitschko, of Ukraine, is 64-4 with 53 knockouts.

Tyson Fury, right, and Wladimir Klitschko pose after weighing in for their heavyweight title fight this past November in Germany/Associated Press photo by Martin Meissner

The much-maligned Tyson Fury on Wednesday gave up the two remaining major heavyweight championship belts he won from Wladimir Klitschko this past November in Germany.

Fury since has twice pulled out of scheduled rematches with Klitschko, and recently Fury admitted to doing cocaine. He is also reportedly suffering from depression.

His promotional company, Hennessy Sports, released a statement. It read, in part, that Fury was giving up his titles “to fully focus on his medical treatment and recovery.”

Fury said, “I feel that it is only fair and right and for the good of boxing to keep the titles active and allow the other contenders to fight for the vacant belts that I proudly won and held as the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world when I defeated the long-standing champion Wladimir Klitschko. I won the titles in the ring and I believe that they should be lost in the ring, but I’m unable to defend at this time and I have taken the hard and emotional decision to now officially vacate my treasured world titles and wish the next in-line contenders all the very best as I now enter another big challenge in my life which, I know, like against Klitschko, I will conquer.”

Fury, 25-0 with 18 knockouts, won three major titles from Klitschko. Fury, 28, had already been stripped of one of them for agreeing to fight Klitschko in a rematch rather than his mandatory challenger – Vyacheslav Glazkov.

The heavyweight championship rematch between Tyson Fury of England and WladimirKlitschko of the Ukraine on Friday was called off for the second time. The two were to tangle Oct. 29 in England, but a statement from Hennessy Sports, which promotes Fury, indicated it won’t happen.

The two first fought this past November in Germany, Fury winning a unanimous decision and Klitshcko’s three belts. They were slated to go at it again in July, but Fury claimed to have a sprained ankle.

Here is the today’s statement, verbatim, from Hennessy Sports: “It is with the deepest regret that we have to announce that the World Heavyweight Championship rematch between Tyson Fury and Wladimir Klitschko, scheduled to take place on the 29th October 2016 at the Manchester Arena, will not be going ahead.

“Tyson has, this week, been declared medically unfit to fight. Medical specialists have advised that the condition is too severe to allow him to participate in the rematch and that he will require treatment before going back into the ring. Tyson will now immediately undergo the treatment he needs to make a full recovery.

“We and Tyson wish to express our sincerest apologies to all those concerned with the event and all the boxing fans who had been looking forward to the rematch. Tyson is understandably devastated by the development.

“We will be making a further statement in due course. Until then, we ask that Tyson and his family be given the privacy and the space he needs to recover during this difficult time.

The statement did not include what is wrong with Fury. A story on ESPN.com that cited sources suggested mental health issues might be at the forefront.

Wladimir Klitschko defended his three heavyweight championship belts Saturday with an ugly, yet one-sided victory over Alexander Povetkin of Russia in Moscow.

Klitschko decked Povetkin once in the second round and three times in the seventh, though one of those knockdowns appeared to be a push.

Klitschko won the 12-round bout by three scores of 119-104.

One of the worst parts of the fight was that Klitschko was allowed to get away with constantly initiating clinches and then pushing Povetkin’s head down. Klitschko was allowed to get away with that time after time, round after round.

Interestingly, referee Luis Pabon finally deducted a point from Klitschko in the 11th round for pushing Povetkin down.

Klitschko is 61-3. Povetkin is 26-1.

The fight was televised by HBO and will be replayed later Saturday as part of the Miguel Cotto-Delvin Rodriguez telecast from Orlando, Fla.

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